US praises Saudi decision on slain writer's son

A State Department spokesman says the U.S. welcomes a decision by Saudi Arabia to let the son of slain writer Jamal Khashoggi leave the country and come to the United States.

Spokesman Robert Palladino tells reporters that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the son, Salah Khashoggi, during his recent visit to the kingdom.

Palladino said on Thursday that Pompeo "made it clear to Saudi leaders that he wanted Salah Khashoggi to return to the United States, and we are pleased that he is now able to do so."

In this photo released by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, shakes hands with Salah Khashoggi, a son, of Jamal Khashoggi, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. Saudi Arabia, which for weeks maintained that Jamal Khashoggi had left the Istanbul consulate, on Saturday acknowledged he was killed there in a "fistfight." [Photo: Saudi Press Agency via AP]

Human Rights Watch said earlier Thursday that Salah Khashoggi and his family were heading to the U.S. after a travel ban on them was lifted. His destination was not publicly known, but his late father lived in the Washington area.

Palladino says Pompeo attended a briefing on the former Washington Post writer's death by CIA Director Gina Haspel following her return from Turkey.